Free
by The White Mage
Summary: It would always serve as a reminder of what may have been, and the memory of one that was forever gone, with an abrupt ending to the story.


**Free**

a one-shot

* * *

The characters involved in this one-shot/story do not belong to me. They belong to Nintendo and Capcom.

Before I begin, I'd like to say that I have absolutely no knowledge whatsoever from the ending, however; there are spoilers, as this should take place after Twilight Princess. I am relying on my knowledge of spoilers, so don't complain if I get it wrong. Also, this should be pretty obvious who these people are. If you still don't know, go play some Twilight Princess.

* * *

How many days has it been since she left? It was hard to remember these days. It was probably a month since she left. Maybe it was more. Even if he couldn't remember how many days, or months, or possibly years since that day, he would remember the always spiteful laugh, the cheeky remarks, and following the orders that she gave. Still, in spite of that, they began to trust each other a little more with every step along the way.

Somehow, they always managed to land in the most dangerous situations, ranging from fire, to snow, and even to the underwater depths of Lake Hylia, and it was only when they worked as a team to get rid of the situation at hand, with her silly mocking advice, and him with his equipment. It was there that they grew respect for one another.

And finally, the silly laughter as she pointed out what was simply obvious to her, and not to him. It was at first mocking him for his stupidity, but later it became more of a joke, and the two simply would laugh when they reminded themselves. From that moment, they gained friendship.

And now… he wished that her memory would no longer torment him, so that he would never think of what may have been, and think of the future that lay across him. And yet, he knew that there would always be one part that would cherish his chance meeting with her, and cherish the memories that would come forth.

From the distance, he could see a little bird flying through the dawn. He always hated the dawn, and the twilight that would ensue later on. It would always serve as a reminder of what may have been, and the memory of one that was forever gone, with an abrupt ending to the story. It was stereotypical, really, how his story was portrayed. The saviors of the descendants of Hyrule, blessed forever in the legends, and so forth, and so on.

For a while, it was fun, dancing around and partying. It helped keep his mind off things, and to just whittle away the time. He wished it would forever be like this, but he always knew there would one day be an end to everything.

The little bird whose eye he had caught fluttered down nearby him, his white exquisite gown and proud regal throat pointing at his limp figure. It was a cucco, one of those silly things. It would help keep his mind off her, for the moment, so he petted the cucco with care. A deep, resounding _coo _came from the bird, and it came closer to the boy. He could now see it a little better, so he took in the details. The regal red feathers on its head made it look more like a prince than an average cucco, and he was briefly reminded of Prince Ralis. He hoped he was coping with all the emotional pain, and the lost childhood, especially with his mother's passing and his abrupt becoming a king to rule over the Zoras. He chuckled over the thought.

The cucco started pecking at the ground, looking for nutrition for its body. He remembered that he had a little bit of worm bait left, and decided he might as well leave it. He slowly took out the bottle, and released the worms that were entrapped inside. It was ironic, to him. He always felt somehow trapped inside something, somewhere with no warmth, no care, and no love whatsoever. He always kept a fake smile, so that no one would catch his drought of sadness that seemed to emanate from him. No one figured it out, and he planned to keep it that way, for perhaps a little while longer.

The cucco, sensing the daylight readily approaching, puffed his chest, taking a deep breath in cucco standards, and let out a deep, majestic and powerful announcement to the rest of the world, that it was daytime.

And it suddenly flew away, with its wings, flying over the sea, flapping once in a while, always seemingly regal for such a common bird. He was free.

With a stutter, the boy stood up, watching the cucco disappear at the steady rise of the sun. He went to follow it, his legs moving farther, reaching to be free, and

…slipped…

The rush of the air held him down, and even if he wanted to stay alive, he knew it was too late. He felt resounding joy, for an unknown reason, however, and instead of the terror facing him, with the rocks aligned to his body, he felt only peace.

It was a rush, of beautiful color, the fall, and he savored it. His clothes flapped, and turned about this way and that, while his face was full of color.

He rushed to the rocks, with the speed of a falling angel, butterflies in his stomach, terrified at the pain he would no doubt receive, the final brush as his legs snapped, hitting the rocky wall, and still plunging downwards,

Downwards,

Downwards,

Plunging into the abyss below, with the silent reflection of the water…

And crashing.

His body would not move, no matter how hard he tried, and slowly he gave up, as the rushing of the waters pulled him down, down, down… the pain, the suffocation, and the…

Freedom. He was free at last.

And with a burst of joy, Link rushed to the air, wings flying upwards, flying…

Into the skies above.

_La fin_


End file.
